Israel: Netanyahu wins the election but fails to secure the majority needed to form a government

With 99.7% of the votes counted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was declared the winner of Israel's parliamentary elections. His party, Likud, garnered 20.5% of the vote, giving it 27 seats in the Knesset (the country's sole legislative body).

Despite the victory, Netanyahu will need to reach an agreement with the other parties and seek external support to form a majority that will allow him to remain at the helm of the Israeli government for another four years.

The parties allied with Likud won a total of 26 seats, distributed as follows: Otzma Yehudit (seven), United Torah Judaism (seven), Shas (six), and Religious Zionism–Zehut (six).

With these results, Netanyahu secures 53 of the 61 seats needed to hold an absolute majority.

The main opposition party, Yashar, led by Gadi Eisenkot, received 16.1% of the vote, a result that gives it 21 seats. Its coalition partners—B'Yachad, the Democrats, and Yisrael Beiteinu—won 12, eight, and seven seats in the Knesset, respectively.

Netanyahu, who will be the first candidate nominated to form a government by the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, will have 28 days to do so, with a possible two-week extension.